Airani Sathananthan

Dr. Airani Sathananthan is a Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at Western University of Health Sciences' College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific (COMP). She joined the university in 2009 and serves as Co-Block Lead for FOM 7 (Endocrinology/Reproductive/GI) and leads the Endocrinology course for second-year medical students. Her educational roles include mentorship in student research, such as guiding Almira Yang’s project on obesity prevalence.

Educations:

• MD: State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine (1999–2006)
• Residency in Internal Medicine: SUNY Buffalo (2006–2009)
• Fellowship in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism: Mayo Clinic (2006–2009)
• MSHS (Health Professional Education): Western University (2009–2011)

Research Interests: Dr. Sathananthan focuses on diabetes pathogenesis, genetic influences on insulin secretion, GLP-1 mechanisms, and personalized diabetes pharmacotherapy. Her work bridges clinical research and education, emphasizing patient-centered care and improving diagnostic techniques (e.g., salivary cortisol assays for Cushing’s syndrome). She has pioneered studies on genetic polymorphisms (e.g., TCF7L2, GLP1R) impacting diabetes progression.

Notable Articles Trends: Her publications span GLP-1 biology, genetic determinants of diabetes, and diagnostic innovations. Recent work explores intensive insulin regimens in type 2 diabetes and rare endocrine disorders like Madelung’s disease.

Awards:

• Unsung Hero Award (2016)
• DO2018 Outstanding Clinical Faculty Award (2016)
• Mayo Clinic Randall Sprague Award (2009)

Grants & Mentorship: She leads grants such as the AADE’s “Diabetes Education in a Patient-Centered Medical Home” and mentors student research like the INSPIRE insulin trial. Additional grants include Novo Nordisk’s SWITCH 2 clinical trial (Site PI).

Labs/Teams: Engaged in clinical research collaborations at WesternU Health Clinic and the Mayo Clinic’s General Clinical Research Center. Her work integrates endocrine practice with medical education innovation.